Wireless receive/transmit units (WRTUs) such as cellular phones have been used primarily to receive voice calls and carry voice traffic and text (SMS) messages. Today, however, users use WRTUs to access information while on the go from a variety of different sources, such as the World Wide Web, application stores, and corporate resources. Advanced WRTUs (which use operating systems such as Apple's iOS, Android, and other advanced operating systems) require significant wireless network resources because of the large data traffic they generate. Some of the data-intensive tasks that may be performed on advanced WRTUs include web surfing, receiving and displaying web pages written in HTML5, downloading applications, downloading mapping elements and other geographic data, streaming of audio and video content, and video conferencing. Additionally, corporate users seek to have secure communication to their corporate networks.
Many WRTUs have the capability to support multiple air interfaces. For example, some WRTUs implement one or more “cellular” mobile technologies such as, but not limited to, UTMS, GSM, Edge, IS-95, super-WiFi, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPDA, HSUDA, HSPA+, CDMA2000, IEEE 802.16 (Wimax), LTE, 3G, 4G, TD-LTE, and also implement “local” wireless technology such as Bluetooth, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies (such as those in the IEEE 802.11× family protocols, including 802.11a/b/g/n/af/ac).
Wireless access points (also referred to as “hot spots,” “WiFi hot spots”, APs, or WAPs) that are based on technologies in the IEEE 802.11 family have become more and more prevalent in businesses and homes. Operators and consumers alike seek to leverage these wireless access points to manage their traffic and provide communication services with adequate and predictable quality of service (QOS). Operators are actively looking at using those wireless systems to offload traffic. This is often done along with the deployment of traditional wireless standards femto-cells.
The re-farming of analog TV bands in the 700 MHz band has created new opportunities for wireless technology dubbed as “White Space”. WRTUs may use this spectrum provided they do not interfere with other devices using the same spectrum. Unlike Wireless LANs, checking on the availability of the spectrum is required on a regular basis. This may be done, among others, by mapping the location of a WRTU against a geo-location database or by using a WRTU-born sensor to detect the presence of transmitters (such as by but not limited to microphones). Sensor-based management solutions impact WRTU battery life, as they must constantly verify a status of the spectrum.
Wynn and Fraser teach in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/240,969 about creating network profiles (basically characteristics) for discovered wireless networks and the management of the attributes of these profiles over time, allowing the management of attributes. It is limited to being predicated solely on the network profile and does not take in account the functional and economic nature of the wireless network being considered. This “one size fits all” method suffers from supporting business models and operations of networks that are differentiated by ancillary economic or social components.
Wynn and Fraser further teach in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/823,698 about sharing information about network profiles between users. It allows, under user control, the sharing of the network profile to one or more other users. While this facilitates the discovery of the network, it does not allow for collaborations between users.
Wireless networks in the past have been perceived from the narrow perspective of network operators where matters such as delay, throughput, and coverage are the attributes that matter regardless of the nature of the network underlying the deployment not as a semantically set commerce transaction enabler or marketplace.
While considering models used in e-commerce and social networking, one must, however, be mindful that models that apply to one type of activity (such as purchases) do not apply to other domains (such as networking). Group incentives for commerce such as sites like Groupon or Living Social rely on having a minimum number of consumers interested in a specific offer before making it effective. Some social purchasing sites create an incentive for sharing more information about offers by offering a pyramid like incentive (get three friends to sign on and get an offer for free or reduced price). This type of offer management is appropriate when considering commercial activities. It is however not conducive to network management activities.
Business applications such as electronic commerce (“e-commerce”) applications, Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) applications, Human Resource Management (HRM) applications, bidding and auction sites, and electronic catalogs are pervasive. A single merchant, business, or seller may operate such business applications. They may be accessed through broadband wired and wireless means, using among others smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. Such business applications may also be, as an example, centrally controlled or hosted to create an online marketplace. This marketplace can include numerous merchants, businesses, or sellers. They may not been integrated or coupled with the nature of the network they are being accessed with.